Thread spool holder



y 1961 R. B. TRAIN 2,984,434

THREAD SPOOL HOLDER Filed Nov. 25, 1959 Rebecca 5. Pain INVENTOR.

BY WW 15% United States Patent THREAD SPOOL HOLDER Rebecca Train, 3019 Rivermont Road, Chattanooga, Tenn.

Filed Nov. 25, 1959, Ser. No. 855,342 7Claims. Cl. 242-134 This invention relates to convenience devices and more particularly to a thread spool holder providing considerable assistance to housewives, seamtresses and persons engaged inother pursuits which entail access to thread or like material ordinarily stored on and dispensed from spools.

An object of the invention is to provide a very handy and easily used holder for thread.

An important feature of this invention is found in the possibility of incorporating any practical number of spool supporting spindles in alignment with each other and also in spaced rows. Consequently, a housewife, for example, may choose to use a certain number of spindles whereas, another housewife may choose to use a larger or smaller number. The number of spindles may be reduced or increased by simply snapping the spindles in place or removing them respectively.

In order to be practical, a device of this nature must be mechanically simple and completely devoid of numerous gadgets. Further, the device, of necessity, must be capable of large scale production at a low unit cost. These ends are achieved by this invention.

Briefly, the invention may be embodied in a mounting bracket of arbitrary design. One or more, preferably a plurality of sockets are fixed to the bracket, and each is capable of supporting a spindle by a quick disconnect clamp action between the sockets and one end of each spindle. Further, the spindles have sockets at one set of ends thereof and these are capable of receiving and holding additional spindles.

The spindle design is such that a seat is formed near the socket containing end thereof. Consequently, the spools of thread supported on the spindles rest on the supports so that the spools are capable of comparatively free rotation in order to withdraw a length of thread therefrom.

These together with other objects and advantages which will become subsequently apparent reside in the details of construction and operation as more fully hereinafter described and claimed, reference being had to the accompanying drawings forming a part hereof, wherein like numerals refer to like parts throughout, and in which:

Figure l is a front elevational view of a holder constructed to exemplify the principles of the invention, portions of some of the spindles being broken away.

Figure 2 is a sectional view taken approximately on the line 2-2 of Figure 1.

Figure 3 is a transverse sectional view on an enlarged scale and taken on the line 33 of Figure 2.

In the accompanying drawings there is an illustration of holder which exemplifies the invention. The holder is made of a bracket 12 which may be secured to any suitable supporting surface by means of a conventional fastener, as a screw or nail .14 passing through an aperture 16 in the bracket. The bracket is essentially L- shaped and includes a first flange or plate 18 together with a second flange or plate 20 joined at right angles ice to the first flange or plate. The plate 20 is at approximately right angles to the supporting surface when bracket 12 is attached to the supporting surface.

A plurality of identical spindles 22 are separably connected to plate 20 of bracket 12. Typical spindle 22 has a shank 24, a reduced neck 26 at one end of the shank, and a head or ball 28 on said neck. The ball 28 is engageable in the socket 32 of a clamp 30. The socket is constructed of a short sleeve 34 joined at one end, for instance, by being molded, cemented, welded, soldered, etc. to the lower surface of plate 20. The side wall of sleeve 34 has two slots 36 and 38 extending lengthwise of the sleeve. The slots are enlarged at their lower ends and enable the walls of sleeve 34 to flex outwardly slightly when the locking element 38 is slipped into the lower open end thereof. A frictional gripping action exists between the inner surface of the socket and the exterior surface of the locking element 28. Consequently, spindles 22 may be snapped in place and easily removed by simply pulling them from their sockets.

The opposite end of typical spindle 22 has socket 40 which is identical to socket 32 and serves the same purpose, i.e. it separably supports an additional spindle in longitudinal alignment with typical spindle 22. The diameter of the ball 28 and shank 22 is smaller than the diameter of the bore of a standard spool 42. Accordingly, the spool may he slipped onto the spindle by inserting the spindle into the bore of the spool. Spool rest 46 is connected with shank 22 and may be formed as a part of socket 40. The spool rest has a flat upper surface 48 (Figure 2) on which the lower surface of spool 42 rests. Consequently, the spool is free to turn about the longitudinal axis of shank 22 and on surface 48 so that thread may be pulled from the spool when the user desires to do so.

In use, bracket 12 is installed at a location convenient to the user. Any number of spindles 22 may be snapped into the sockets after applying spools 42 thereon. A full or partial second row of spindles may be attached to the lower extremities of the spindles that are supported on bracket 12. Should the user desire, further additional rows of spindles in axial alignment with the supported spindles may be used.

The foregoing is considered as illustrative only of the principles of the invention. Further, since numerous modifications and changes will readily occur to those skilled in the art, it is not desired to limit the invention to the exact construction and operation shown and described, and accordingly all suitable modifications and equivalents may be resorted to, falling within the scope of the invention as claimed.

What is claimed as new is as follows:

1. A thread spool holder comprising a portable bracket, a plurality of sockets connected with said bracket, a plurality of spindles, each spindle constituting a spool support, means on each spindle defining a rest for the spool, an enlargement on one end of each of the spindles engageable in the sockets for suspending said spindles therefrom, said sockets having slots therein so that the sockets are capable of flexing yieldably and resiliently whereby upon receipt of the enlargements which tend to spread the sockets slightly the enlargements and consequently the spindles are frictionally gripped by said sockets.

2. The subject matter of claim 1 wherein said spindles are essentially vertically oriented and said rests are essentially horizontally oriented.

3. The subject matter of claim 1 wherein said spindles have additional clamp sockets connected thereto at the ends thereof opposite to the ends having said enlargements whereby additional spindles may be connected to the first mentioned spindles as longitudinal extensions thereof to support additional spools.

4. The subject matter of claim 3 wherein said spindles and additional spindles are essentially vertically oriented and said rests are approximately horizontally disposed.

5. In a thread spool holder, a bracket, at least one socket secured to said bracket, a first spool supporting spindle, means connected with said spindle and cooperating with said socket for separably securing said spindle to said socket to support the spool for rotation about the longitudinal axis of saidspindle, a rest connected with said spindle on which the spool is adapted to be supported to limit the endwise movement of the spool in one direction on said spindle, a second spindle coaxial with said first spindle, and means on confronting ends of said spindles for separably connecting said first and said second spindles.

6. In a thread spool holder, a bracket, at least one socket secured to said bracket, a spool supporting spindle, means connected with said spindle and cooperating with said socket for separably securing said spindle to said socket to support the spool for rotation about the longitudinal axis of said spindle, a rest connected with said spindle on which the spool is adapted to be supported to limit the endwise movement of the spool in one direction on said spindle, and clamping means connected to said spindle adjacent to said rest for separably attaching an additional spindle to the first mentioned spindle and in a position generally coaxial with the first mentioned spindle.

7. The thread spool holder of claim 6 wherein said rest is longitudinally spaced from both ends of said spindle and is fixed with respect to said spindle, and said clamping means includes a friction grip socket adjacent to said rest.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 113,858 Cutler Apr. 18, 1871 1,090,831 Belding Mar. 24, 1914 1,421,099 Reed June 27, 1922 FOREIGN PATENTS 1,726 Great Britain p of 1891 

